Losing a Man's Best Friend...

Hey good folks.

Today, we lost a beloved member of the family.  Most of you who come to the farm have been greeted by the classic, scrruffy, and barky dog named Casea.  Casea was 17 (human years!) years old which means I had her for a few years before I even met Emily!  She had a great life and now rests under a shady walnut tree in our meadow.

I found Casea while on a long weekend surf trip to Cape Hatteras.  I swerved to miss her with my car and pulled over to see what it was that I almost hit.  What I found was a curious and very scared looking pup on her belly in the sand.  Love at first sight.  She literally crawled towards me when I rounded the car in a submissive posture.  I checked her out and found that she was totally unhurt but still needed safety.  When I inquired at the rustic book store across the highway (RT 12) about whose dog it was, a local park ranger said she was very likely owned by the folks who lived across the way.  I walked her over to the probable owners house and found the classic run-down shack, car up on blocks and BIG ROTWEILER ready to bound through the screened-in porch at me.  Mom came to the door and I asked her if she wanted Casea any more.  She said not really and later that night, after her children were asleep, I came and picked up my new pooch.    

I brought her home to my apartment in Kutztown where I was living with a friend, finishing up a degree in Anthropology.  NO PETS read the fine print in our rental agreement but I seemed to think that didn't apply to me and my new dog.  Casea became an icon on campus as I tied her to shady trees outside while I attended class.  Usually, there was a small crowd around her loving her up when I was finished with class.  Friends volunteered to take her for walks when I was working and Casea kind of became a COMMUNITY dog.  There have even been a few songs written about her (Heather {Hart} Rees, you know the one).   

My mom cared for Casea while I studied and lived in Central America and became even more attached to my extended family (sorry for the dead chickens Terry!).  She traveled with me just about everywhere I went, even on another surf trip to Florida with Gavin where Casea met her first and last beach lover, a frumpy old Brittany Spaniel name General Lee!

Well, since then, Casea was absorbed into family and has been the omni-present guardian and friend for me, Em and the kids.  So many people have said, "Oh, what a strange looking thing!" but they were usually the ones who really didn't know her.  Strange looking maybe, but a lot like us.  Not cookie cutter good looking but loved life, playful, content, couldn't be tied down, and ate chickens (heheheh).  

Anyway, I wanted to share with you because she was THAT important to us.  I don't know what tomorrow morning will be like when I have nobody following me to the field at 5:30.

Peace.

Michael, Emily and the Kids.